Adapted from Eamon Rockey, Betony, New York City
Adding milk to tea is a time-honored traditional way to enjoy a cup. But milk punch? Sounds strange until you start mixing. With the right tea infusion it can make the most unique cocktail you’ve ever…concocted! This blend uses assam tea, the first “Empire Tea” grown from Chinese seeds planted alongside indigenous tea bushes in the 1830s.
Prep time: 45 minutes (plus juicing and straining time)
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yields: about 1 gallon plus 1 quart pineapple milk punch
Pairings
- Organic Assam Back In The Body Tea, by The Republic of Tea
- Doomni Estate Assam, by The Tea Spot
- Pure Assam Tea, by Taylors of Harrogate
Ingredients
- 16 Assam tea bags
- 1 quart boiling water
- 1 quart fresh lemon juice
- 1 quart fresh pineapple juice
- 1 quart simple syrup (1 part sugar:1 part water), plus extra if needed
- 1 quart whole milk
- 2 cups vodka
- 1-3/4 ounces clear spirit of choice (such as cachaça, white rum or gin)
- Ice
Method
- To a large bowl add the tea bags and boiling water. Steep 4 minutes, then remove and discard the tea bags. Add the lemon juice, pineapple juice and simple syrup.
- In small saucepan bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. Pour the milk into the tea mixture and stir for a few seconds to combine (the mixture will coagulate into curds and whey).
- Line a large sieve with a large piece of white tablecloth, a white t-shirt or a piece of quadrupled cheesecloth and set over a large bowl. Slowly pour the milk-tea mixture into the sieve and let it drain into the bowl; as it drains, ladle the strained liquid back onto the collected solids in the cloth-lined sieve. Continue to pour and ladle the strained liquids until the liquids run clear (this can take some time, about 48 hours). If needed, replace the cloth lining with a clean one. For the final draining, place the sieve with the liquid and the bowl in the refrigerator overnight to drain.
- To the clear liquid add the vodka and transfer the mixture to an airtight container (you should have about5 quarts pineapple milk punch base). The base keeps for over 1 year in the refrigerator. To serve, combine 1-3/4 ounces of the vodka base with 1-3/4 ounces of spirit in a mixer and stir. Pour the punch over ice in a rocks glass or punch cup. Taste and add a drop or two of simple syrup if needed to add extra sweetness.
